Northern Fishing Communities Development Programme
Northern Fishing Communities Development Programme
Northern Fishing Communities Development Programme
The coastal area of Zaire province has been severely affected by the war. Many people have fled the area and much of the physical and social infrastructure has been destroyed. The project was suspended when fighting broke out again throughout the country after 1998. After project activities were resumed when the civil war ended, displaced families have begun to return to the area to make a living as fishers, and many more are expected to join them. But because they lack fishing gear they have been forced to fall back on subsistence farming.
The programme goal is to improve the incomes and welfare of the coastal populations of Angola, beginning with those of Zaire province. Programme activities help stimulate the local economy, particularly by supporting fishing and fisheries-related activities such as boat-building and fish processing and marketing. Specifically the programme is designed to:
- establish grass-roots organizations and help communities identify their development needs and manage development activities
- help develop a network of traders linking fishing communities to input suppliers and fish markets
- help communities improve basic infrastructure and services and test improved fishing and fisheries-related techniques
- develop systems to monitor small-scale fishing and industrial fisheries
- strengthen the capacity of government agencies to monitor and manage fisheries and help develop policies that benefit fishing communities while ensuring sustainability of fishing resources
By mid 2006 the programme had built 9 schools, 4 health centres and 2 community centres. It has also helped form 17 economic interest groups, 133 savings and credit groups and 18 management committees to run the schools, health centres and wells built by the programme. Progress has also been made in providing fishing communities with credit to buy fishing materials and make repairs to boats and gear at low cost.
Source: IFAD
